


tonight's our time

by FiresFromOurHearts



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Families of Choice, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Fun, Gen, Growing Up, Love, Minato-centric, Not sure what other tags I should have, Not sure whether this is romantic or platonic, They're all in their 20s here probably, but it's love, have fun finding this, that's all it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29029038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiresFromOurHearts/pseuds/FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: Looking at each other, they laugh, loud and wild and happy. This is, undoubtedly, what life is all about. Laughing and living, looking at each other and grinning. They’re adults but that doesn’t mean they have to leave childish acts behind them.In which there are sprinklers to run through like the children they still are and a home to come back to.
Relationships: Namikaze Minato & Uchiha Fugaku & Uchiha Mikoto & Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Kushina
Kudos: 8





	tonight's our time

The day begins warm, already at seven in the morning, the sun is shining and the humidity is easy to feel the moment you go outside. And so, Minato avoids that for the most part, staying indoors in the university library and dealing with some assignment due in a few days.

Slowly, the day passes, in fits of useful research and hours of scrolling through Instagram. Then, the day begins to dip towards evening and, fifteen to eight, Minato turns his laptop off, shoves it into the laptop bag, and gets into his car.

There’s hardly any traffic and Minato reaches the park with minutes to spare. He parks the car, leaves his laptop bag under a jacket, and grabs his phone and wallet, shoving them into his pockets. Outside, the day is still stupidly muggy, probably still near forty Celsius. Grimacing, he gets out of the car regardless, stretching.

Almost no one is around. There’s a couple and their kid nearby, hanging on the swings. Up past them, along a path that sways and swerves towards the dog area, there are a few people walking around, dogs running around through the trees. Minato can make out a pale blur of colour along with a much darker dog, but the distance is too great to make out what breed they are easily.

“Minato!”

His name shouted as him spinning on one foot. Behind him, there’s Kushina, red hair pulled up in a messy bun on her head, likely to keep it off her neck in the humidity. Minato hurries towards her.

It’s warm and humid and gross, but Minato tugs her into a hug regardless. Then, he steps back, grinning. “How are you?” He asks. “It’s been too long. How’s work? Studying? Ready for uni to be starting up again?”

Kushina shakes her head. “I’m definitely not! We had to do our time table allocations earlier this week and that tried to kill me. Hopefully I managed to get my classes onto three days only. Otherwise, I’ve still gotta get my books and things. Probably look at the date uni starts too.”

“That might help,” Minato interjects, grinning even as Kushina knocks him with her shoulder. The blow’s enough to stagger him, and he just laughs as he rightens himself.

“Anyway, that’s everything for uni. Work’s been alright. Busy. Same old pretty much. I picked up a few shifts over the Christmas break though that’s now chilling down a bit more. What about you? Prepared for the next semester? How’s your summer unit going? You don’t have exams, right?”

“Nope!” Minato says, gleeful about that fact. “Just got to finish up this long assignment, which I’ve started gathering the research for, and once that’s handed in, I’ll be done. ‘Course I’ve got to finish this one other quiz and get to the end of the semester, but still! Pretty close. Our time tabling opens next week so I haven’t done that yet. But I’ve got a handle on everything else, I think. Work’s been chill too. Died down after the Christmas rush, as you expect.”

Kushina hums, then spins around, navy blue dress fluttering out around her. She laughs and Minato grins at happiness. Then, she reaches out, and tugs him over towards a grassy knoll. Holding her hand tightly, Minato knocks her over, and they collapse on the grass on their backs, looking up at the sky overhead. It’s still light, the sun casting long shadows across the park, but still sending rays falling through the trees.

“It’s so hot,” Kushina groans. “Why is it so hot?”

“Because summer.”

“Well, summer can fuck right off,” Kushina says and Minato laughs. It’s hot but that doesn’t stop him from interlocking his fingers with Kushina’s, holding tight. It’s been too long since they last saw each other. A month, at least, and even longer since they hung out together, only them two. It’s good to be with the others, with all their other friends, but Minato’s missed it just being them. There’s a difference, somehow, to when you’re alone with someone and when you’re in a group of friends. Maybe it’s the attention being focussed on everyone, he’s not sure.

Whatever it is, Minato’s just happy to have this.

From nearby, there’s a hissing sound, and Minato jerks upright, heart pounding. He looks around, hurried, and then spots the sprinklers which have now turned on, hissing as they shoot water around in a circle. Beside him, Kushina has also pushed herself up, weight still resting on her hands behind her back. He glances at her, a smile on his face, and finds her grinning at him. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” He asks.

“Sprinklers?” Kushina says, grin somehow impossibly growing wider.

Minato doesn’t bother responding, just laughs, and shoves himself to his feet, letting go of Kushina’s hand as he does so. Then, he turns, extending his hands out. Kushina latches on and he heaves her up, huffing as he does so in show. In response, she punches his shoulder.

“Hey!”

“Then stop being a dick,” Kushina says, but she’s smiling and Minato simply rolls his eyes. It’s all in good fun. Between them, it almost always is. And she reaches out, offering her hand, and Minato grips it, tight. Their hands are sweaty and gross, because of the weather and how it’s somehow still humid even as the sun sets, streaking the sky with pale purples and pinks and oranges.

The sky, however, is not what Kushina or Minato pay attention to. Rather, then launch forward, uncoordinated and laughing, towards where the sprinklers send water over the grass and pavement, turning it dark.

They don’t go through the edges of the sprinkler, where the water’s a mist and light, they run through the worst of it, laughing and holding hands. Immediately, they’re soaked, clothes plastered to their skin as droplets of water run down their arms and faces and necks. Minato’s hair falls over his eyes whilst Kushina has flyaway strands finally pinned down, and she rubs a hand across her forehead, shoving them to the side so they stop irritating her.

Now out of the sprinkler, they turn. The weather no longer feels so hot and muggy. It’s cool and warm and the perfect temperature, even though their clothes have darkened with water and their hair will definitely turn fuzzy.

Looking at each other, they laugh, loud and wild and happy. This is, undoubtedly, what life is all about. Laughing and living, looking at each other and grinning. They’re adults but that doesn’t mean they have to leave childish acts behind them.

For a second, the world feels frozen. There’s only them and nothing else, then Kushina shoves her hand through Minato’s hair, messing it up, and darts away, laughing once again. “Oi!” Minato shouts, trying to force his hair out of his eyes again, even as he smiles.

Rather than following Kushina, he tugs his phone out of his pocket, thankfully still dry, and checks the time. It’s just past nine. “Hey, want to head home?” He asks, looking to where Kushina stands out of reach, ready to jump away the moment he comes towards her. “Truce, by the way.”

“Truce,” Kushina agrees, cautiously stepping closer. “Did you drive here? I caught public transport down since it was easier to come from work.”

“Yeah, I came down from uni, so.”

“Makes sense,” Kushina says, nodding. She follows him to his little yellow car. The car is at least a decade old, if not older, and somehow it manages to be one of the fastest little cars Kushina’s ever been in—even though it’s not meant to be fast at all. The strangest bit is that it manages to be so fast even though it has the worst suspension and seems to go over every pothole, though that could just be Minato’s driving.

Minato hops into the driver’s seat, glancing sideways as Kushina gets in. “Just chuck my stuff into the back, yeah? Careful with my laptop.”

Humming, Kushina twists to shove both the jacket and laptop bag into the backseat. “So, home?” Minato double checks as he reverses out of the parking space, and turns the car so they’re heading out of the carpark. “Fugaku and Mikoto, yeah?”

Home’s a lot of places, after all. Home is where they all live individually. The Uchiha district where almost all the Uchihas live, including Fugaku and Mikoto though the former officially lives on campus when the university semesters running. Then, of course, there’s Kushina’s shared apartment with two other university students who she met through a welcoming event for foreigners at their university. Plus, Minato’s own shared housing with three friends—one he’d met growing up and the other two who’d simply wanted to rent two extra bedrooms.

But it’s Fugaku’s home they all fall into when the chance arises. For the most part, Fugaku’s home is big and empty, his family doing business overseas and letting him look out for himself now that he’s officially an adult. And, in the worst-case scenario, he’s surrounded by family who will help him out.

It’s Fugaku’s house that feels like home. It’s the place they come to when the power goes out or the fridge is empty or you’ve failed a test and need some comfort. It’s a place for sleepovers and laughter and movie marathons and failed baking experiments. It’s where they’ve laughed until they’ve cried and cried until they’ve laughed and lived each day as it comes.

It’s home in the best way possible, and it’s home because they have each other, always.

Minato parks in the driveway, a space left by Fugaku’s well-washed black car being out on the street—probably for this exact reason, Minato knows. Turning the car off, he grabs his bag and follows Kushina as she heads towards the door. They don’t have to knock or ring the doorbell or anything, Kushina simply pulls out the key and unlocks the door.

“You texted him on our way down?” Minato double checks, closing and locking the door behind him.

“Yeah,” Kushina says, bending down to take off her shoes. “He said that Mikoto is here as well and they’re both in the living room. There’s also food, if you want it. Stir fry from a Thai place nearby, assuming you haven’t eaten dinner.”

“Sounds divine,” Minato says, rather than respond to the dinner comment. He knows his bad habits, knows them well, but that doesn’t change the fact they remain. At least he has his friends to help him out when it comes to it.

Kushina leads the way down white, tiled hallways, and they find Mikoto and Fugaku in the kitchen. Mikoto’s wearing an overly long t-shirt that’s definitely at least five sizes too big, but looks very comfortable. Minato’s somewhat jealous.

“Here you go,” Fugaku says as Mikoto takes Minato’s laptop bag. Instead, Minato finds himself with a warm bowl of stir fry and chopsticks.

“Thanks,” he says, somewhat amused as Mikoto heads elsewhere to dump the laptop bag. Meanwhile, Fugaku steers him towards the living room, where he ends up on a couch by the fan. “You know, I can actually follow you. You don’t have to shove me here,” he says, amused.

Fugaku sits down next to him, leaning against his shoulder. “But this way I can claim the seat next to you,” he says knowingly. Then, pulling away, he grimaces. “Though that’s not the greatest idea considering the weather today.”

Minato laughs—and so does Kushina as she enters the room, having changed into sleep clothes too. “At least it’s somewhat cool in here. It’s still over thirty outside. It won’t drop much lower, and it’ll be high temperatures again tomorrow.”

“But the cool change will come,” Minato says after he swallows his last mouthful of food. The bowl and chopsticks are placed on the table beside the couch. He’ll put them away when he next gets up. “And then we’ll have cool weather for a few days at least.”

“I, for one, cannot wait,” Kushina says, before covering her mouth as she yawns. “I’m so tired. Movie night?”

“You’re just going to sleep through it,” Fugaku complains even as he turns the TV on. “Hey, Minato, can check what Mikoto’s up to? She’s been gone a while.”

Nodding, Minato then stands and grabs his bowl and chopsticks too. Those are placed in the sink to be washed later, then he goes on search for Mikoto, heading down the hallway towards Fugaku’s room. He finds Mikoto partway there, where she’s shoving an inflatable mattress along the tiles.

“Movie night?” Mikoto says, smiling around the mattress like they all won’t be falling asleep by the first movie.

“Smart thinking,” is all Minato says, and then he helps her slide the mattress to the couch and TV. Once there, they lay it down. It’s massive. A king-size and a squish for four people, but they manage. It’s too hot to bother with blankets, so they don’t, just stealing couch cushions for themselves as Fugaku fiddles with the TV and finds a movie that’ll appeal for all of them.

Soon enough, they’re settling down, comfortable with their familiar routine. Music starts playing from the TV and Minato yawns as the film begins. It looks to be an animated one, probably some feel-good movie that requires almost no attention to follow the plot. After yawning once again, Minato rolls onto his side and closes his eyes. The movie might be good but he’s far too tired and, comfortable and home, it’s all too easy to fall asleep.

The last thing he’s aware of is a blanket being thrown over his shoulders. Then he’s asleep, only aware of music and the soft murmurs of conversation around him.

**Author's Note:**

> This was definitely not inspired by the hot evening we had the other day and the sprinklers turning on and me debating running through them because the weather was gross okay. But, well, they say to write what you want to do, right? No? Oh well, I'm doing that today.
> 
> Anyway I don't have much to say. I hope you enjoyed though! Feel free to find me over on [Tumblr](https://silent-silver-slip.tumblr.com/).


End file.
